1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical fiber cables used for indoor and/or outdoor premises applications and, in particular, to optical fiber cables which do not incorporate greases and/or gels within the cables for water-blocking.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the wiring of premises, such as apartment and commercial buildings, with fiber optic cables, it is common to use a cabling system in which many cables enter the premises and individual cables are broken out for use in individual stations within the building. Heretofore, it has been known to use a high density breakout cable system for wiring such premises. Typically, the fiber optic cables of such a cable system (known as "breakout cables") are available in spools which can be pulled through the building in a routine manner.
Typically, the prior art breakout cables are constructed with water-blocking properties such as by incorporating greases and/or gels between an outer jacket and internally carried fibers of the cables. The greases and/or gels are intended to prevent water from migrating through and about the fibers of the cable if the outer jacket of the cable becomes breached in some manner. Although meeting with a certain degree of success, cables incorporating the prior art greases and gels can be difficult to work with due to the messiness and handling difficulties thereof For example, the greases and/or gels can tend to leak from the cable, such as during a cable termination process. Additionally, the greases and/or gels are particularly undesirable when exposed to warm temperatures because the warmed greases and/or gels tend to flow more readily within the cable jacket and can tend to drip out of the cable, such as at a cable termination point, thereby potentially soiling or damaging components, i.e. electrical components, found within a cable termination cabinet as well as diminishing the water blocking properties of the cable.
Therefore, there is a need to provide improved fiber optic cables which address these and other shortcomings of the prior art.